1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to food and beverage apparatus, and more specifically to a table-supported portable produce peeler in combination with a folding table having a peel receptacle therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various vegetables and fruit are more palatable and/or safer to consume when an external peel has been removed. To remove the peel, various peelers have been proposed. Several more comprehensive peeling machines have been proposed, such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,872,732 by Goranson et al and U.S. Pat. No. 2,089,502 by Polk. These machines include devices to support fruit, a peeling separator, and a receptacle or receiver for the peels. However, these are massive machines which are designed for stationary commercial applications, and are only feasible where the volumes of produce to be peeled are great. Such peelers are too bulky to be used within a home by an individual or family and stored out of the way when not in use. Furthermore, these machines are sufficiently complex to be quite expensive to purchase and difficult to maintain.
In order to be useful within a household, a produce peeler needs to be simple to use, require little if any maintenance, and require minimal space to use and store. An early example of a peeler machine more suitable for households is U.S. Pat. No. 9,347X to Hatcher. In the Hatcher patent, a mechanized peeler is mounted upon a small table or bench. The number of moving parts is limited to three rotary axles, and simple gearing components. This design is relatively simple to use and maintain, and of more reasonable cost than a commercial machine. Unfortunately, the Hatcher patent still requires substantial space for use and storage, and would consume most of a counter top or storage cabinet within a typical kitchen. Consequently, the Hatcher construction has not found wide-spread use in modem kitchens, which are designed for multipurpose uses with many diverse appliances, and which consequently do not have adequate space for even this large a machine.
More recent peelers have been designed that are provided with a clamp which enables Ad attachment to a table, counter top or other work surface. Exemplary of this type of peeler is U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,528 to Wang, the contents which are incorporated herein by reference for the enablement of the construction thereof This type of peeler is typically relatively flat, enabling the peeler to fit within a small kitchen drawer when not in use. When needed, the peeler may be removed from the drawer, clamped to the work surface such as a table or counter top, and immediately used. In the Wang construction, there are only two rotary shafts, and only one gear pair. In view of the few parts, the cost of the peeler is much more reasonable for a homeowner, and there is no necessary maintenance required other than cleaning the peeler after each use. For these reasons, this type of peeler has gained wide-spread acceptance, and is in use in many households.
Unfortunately, there is nothing provided with the Wang type of peeler to collect peels, nor is there a way to retain liquids such as juices that may be released during peeling. Consequently, when this type of peeler is being used, it must either be mounted to overhang beyond the work surface, such that peelings may be caught in a pail on the floor beneath, or the peelings and juice must be cleaned away from the work surface periodically during use. When a pail is used, there is the added risk that the pail will either not catch everything released from the peeler, consequently leaving the floor or work surface soiled, or that the pail will be accidentally kicked or bumped and spilled. Furthermore, the peeler may undesirably damage the work surface through adverse mechanical interaction with the peeler as the crank is being turned to spin the fruit, during clamping, or through chemical interaction from the peels and juice.
In spite of the many advantages of the clamp-type peelers, the disadvantages are still substantial enough that many persons continue to use an even simpler hand-held produce peeler. This hand-held peeler typically consists of a handle, and a cutter formed from a strip of metal with a slot having sharpened edges forming internal blades. The benefits of this type of peeler are even By more compact storage, the ability to use the peeler adjacent a sink or other readily cleaned work area or surface, and ease of cleaning the peeler. What is desired then is a way to capture the benefits of the clamp-type household peeler together with as many beneficial features of the hand-held peeler as possible.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention solve the inadequacies of prior peeling machines and tools by providing, in a first manifestation, a machine for removing exterior layers from produce. The machine is simultaneously capable of preserving both space and cleanliness within a food preparation area by having a minimum number of parts which require no maintenance other than cleaning after each use. Consequently, the machine is compact when stored and of relatively low cost. It is further readily removed from storage, assembled, and then immediately used, and is sufficiently portable and compact to be used upon a work area within said food preparation area, including within a basin or sink. When used with a basin or sink, any mess is contained and subsequent clean-up is simplified. The machine has a peeler having a fastener fastenable to a support and removable therefrom for storage, a produce holder, and a means co-operative with the produce holder for separating exterior layers from the produce. A folding support has a generally planar top support. Means are provided for supporting the peeler above the top surface. A stand is pivotally attached to the support top surface which enables the stand to pivot between parallel with the support top surface and normal thereto. Finally, a passage through the top surface is aligned with the peeler to permit the exterior layers or peelings to pass through the top surface.
In a second manifestation, the invention is an apparatus for peeling an exterior peel from fruits and vegetables. A generally planar, horizontally extending table top is provided. A clamp is fastenable to the table top and removable therefrom for storage. A holder for said fruits and vegetables is attached to the clamp and retained above the table top when in operative position. A separator is co-operative with the holder for removing exterior peel from fruits and vegetables. As the peel is removed, a hole centrally located within and extending entirely through the table top permits the peel to pass through gravitationally. At least two vertically extending legs space the table top vertically above a subsurface, and hinges attached to the legs and table top permit relative movement therebetween, wherein the legs may be laid co-planar with table top for storage.
Additional manifestations of the invention further include various receptacles for retaining peelings, as well as further combinations with sinks or wash basins, and also with garbage disposals.
A first object of the invention is the provision of a machine that supports fruit, vegetables and other produce, and includes a peeling separator and a receptacle or receiver for the peels. A second object is the provision of such a machine while also preserving an associated working area within the kitchen, most preferably by enabling the machine to fit within a small kitchen drawer when not in use. A third object of the invention is to enable the machine to be readily removed from storage, assembled readily, and then immediately used. Another object of the invention is to ensure that the machine has a minimum number of parts, thereby keeping the cost of the peeler reasonable for household use and requiring no necessary maintenance other than cleaning the machine after each use. A further object of the invention is to provide a means to retain or collect stray peels or juice that do not pass directly into the peel receptacle. Yet another object of the invention is to prevent adverse mechanical or chemical interaction with surrounding work areas prior to or during use of the machine. Still another object of the inventions to enable the machine to be used adjacent a sink or other readily cleaned work area or surface, thereby assisting with containment of any mess and speeding subsequent clean-up thereof. Yet a fixer object of the invention is to enable the operator to combine the features of the machine with an in-sink garbage disposal, further facilitating rapid clean-up after use.